Space invaders driving UK drivers to distraction

Invasion of space is a major source of annoyance among UK drivers when it comes to car parks, a new survey reveals.

Research carried out for Budget Insurance has shown that selfish drivers are among our biggest parking gripes.

Singled out for particular disapproval are those who carelessly take up multiple spaces (cited by a whopping 69% of those surveyed), people who park too close to us (49%) and, perhaps worst of all, those who damage other people’s cars without leaving a note (47%).

People who not only park too close but then open their doors carelessly, risking damage to our cars, are another source of real annoyance, with 40% of respondents citing this as one of their main parking bugbears. Those who park in disabled and mother and baby spaces when they don’t need to really make our blood boil, at 36% of survey respondents. And sneaking in at number 10 on the list are the self-centred individuals who steal the last space in the car park when we’re just about to drive into it (15%).

The UK’s top 10 parking bugbears:

People who take up more than one space (69%);

People parking too close to my car (49%);

People who damage my car and don’t leave a note (47%);

Spaces that are too small (40%);

People who open their door carelessly risking damage to my car (40%);

People parking in disabled/mother and baby spaces unnecessarily (36%);

Driving round tight corners in multi-storey car parks (25%);

People leaving trolleys in parking spaces (25%);

Parking meters that don’t give change (22%);

Someone steals the last space in the car park just as I’m about to drive into it (15.5%).

Yet when parking fears come true and our cars do get damaged – either by other people or by our own failure to spot a looming bollard – many of us are choosing not to claim on our car insurance, either paying for repairs ourselves to avoid making a claim (36.4% of those polled) or simply choosing to live with the damage to save on expensive garage bills (37.5%).

Speaking about the research, Mark Townsend, Managing Director of Budget Insurance, said: “With car parking space at an increasing premium, we’re not surprised to see selfish parking right up at the top of the list of parking bugbears in the UK, along with concerns over the costly damage it can cause.

“We know that many people are reluctant to claim for relatively minor scratches and dents and that’s why we offer Scratch and Dent Insurance as an independent policy. For under £6 a month, drivers can be reassured that those annoying and potentially expensive bumps and scratches will be taken care of without affecting their no claims bonus.”